(Quebec) The mayor of Quebec confirmed Tuesday that a new registration tax of at least $10 will be charged to motorists in the capital from 2025. Bruno Marchand says he wants to play “fair” before the next municipal elections and believes that the new levy is essential to maintain public transport services.
Published at 3:50 p.m.
“Without additional revenue, there would be a drop in service. At a time when we want to promote public transportation, we would be forced to reduce services. But we want to increase them,” explained the mayor during a press briefing at city hall.
Last December, the Quebec government gave municipalities the power to increase the tax on registration to finance public transport. Only Montreal had the right until then. This tax is $59 in the territory of the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM).
Quebec City is therefore moving forward. The mayor’s team, the majority on the council, wants to adopt a regulation to collect $10 per car on its territory from 2025. But this amount represents the “minimum”, specifies Mayor Marchand.
The Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) has given municipalities until May 31 to adopt a regulation to this effect. The Marchand administration has agreed with the SAAQ to be able to specify this amount by September, when the anticipated deficit of the Capital Transportation Network (RTC) and the future structuring project recommended by the CDPQ-Infra will be known. Municipalities are also waiting to know the extent of the aid that will be provided by Quebec to replenish the empty coffers of transport companies.
“I don’t know,” said the mayor of Quebec bluntly when asked about the final amount.
Bruno Marchand is aware that he is implementing this tax in 2025, an election year. Mr. Marchand has already declared that he wants to seek a second term.
It’s definitely risky. There is no positioning without risk […] I take this risk, I accept it, and people will have the right to decide in the elections, but they will not have a lying politician in front of them.
Mayor Bruno Marchand
The leader of the official opposition has already announced that he will vote against the draft regulation. “We don’t know what we’re getting into without knowing what the final amount is,” denounced Claude Villeneuve.
The head of Quebec first also criticized a series of RTC decisions, including that of removing bus shelters in the Vanier district, or that of organizing a “recognition buffet” at a cost of $33,000 for his employees.
He points to the announcement made Monday by the Marchand administration to practically triple the number of self-service bicycles in the capital, which will increase from 1,300 to 3,300 by 2028. The cost of the operation is estimated at 37 million over five years.
“On a cake, it’s fun to have creaming, but at some point when there is too much creaming the cake no longer really drips,” said Mr. Villeneuve. The RTC, its cake, is to offer collective transport. Providing active transportation options is creaming. And there’s starting to be quite a bit of creaming going on. »
